He likes Chuck way more than he should
by Daria234
Summary: Neal's resemblence to Bryce means that he's sent to impersonate Bryce on a spy mission, with the help of Chuck Bartowski.  Written for a prompt on livejournal. Chuck/Neal slash.
1. Not a smart idea

Peter hadn't wanted to let Neal work with them; they were so high-security it wasn't even clear which agency the 'them' was.

And Neal was nervous about it too. He had gotten good at reading people. Even people who were nearly perfect at hiding their intent. Even people whose reactions were certainly biased by their memory of whoever it was that Neal was supposed to be impersonating.

John Casey. Not his real name. Who looked at Neal with annoyance. And with some other emotion. Like he wished he could just shoot Neal and get it over with, because it would just be more efficient.

Sarah Walker. Not her real name. Who looked at Neal like ... like she knew the man Neal was there to impersonate.

Chuck Bartowski. Who gave him a big smile. Who told him straight up that it would be weird since he looked just like his old friend Bryce, but he planned to get to know Neal for who he was, since after all they were all on the same team, and by the way, does Neal play videogames?

The answer was no. But Neal learned to play Duckhunt pretty well. And they both liked listening to music. And deciphering Casey's menagerie of grunts. And sipping the best champagne that government funds could buy.

Yes, it was becoming clear. Neal liked Chuck way more than he should.

It was dangerous. And stupid. After all, Chuck wouldn't get to have a whole team based on his abilities if he weren't ruthless and cunning and capable of taking out entire tactical teams all on his own. And surely if Chuck such a superspy, then he must be masterful at conning people. Maybe even good enough to con Neal.

So it was a bad idea to like Chuck, to think of him as a friend.

And an even worse idea to fall laughing into Chuck's arms, into Chuck's bed.

But there's something about him that Neal can't ignore.

Like the way he made sure nobody would document when Mozzie came by to visit. And he was really nice to Mozzie, talked books with him even (after Moz was done accusing him of destroying civilization, despite the fact that Moz had just argued civilization is a facade anyway).

And then there was the way Chuck just automatically reached for the tranq guns instead of the real ones.

Chuck really doesn't like guns.

And then there's the fact that he gets Sarah to talk about her favorite cities, her favorite foods, can get her to imagine things - to hope for things - that have nothing to do with their bloody, cold line of work. Chuck can even get Casey to talk about things like why it's important to get an aged whiskey, or what's going on with Chuck's family. And Neal wonders, when he sees this, whether maybe for Chuck, it's not about the information or the power.

Just like for Neal, it's not about the money or the things.

It's about the people.

Neal sees something in Chuck. Something he can't let go of, something that grips and hooks Neal harder every day, with every nervous laugh or goofy grin or smoldering hot kiss.

Neal tells himself that this isn't real, that he's getting conned by a spy named Chuck Bartowski. He tells himself every morning as he wakes up next to Chuck, and he tells himself every night as he falls asleep in a haze of postorgasmic bliss.

Neal wonders if this is justice, or cosmic payback somehow; he knows Peter would think so. Because no matter how many times Neal tells himself, he can't bring himself to care that he's being conned.

He just can't help it. He likes Chuck way more than he should.


	2. Casey looks unhappy Even for him

AN: written for a prompt on livejournal on the comment_fic comm: Casey's POV on Neal/Chuck (with Casey longing). Bryce was bad enough.

* * *

Bryce was bad enough.

He did whatever he felt like doing, leaving good agents - people like Casey - to clean up the mess. Bryce sends the Intersect to Chuck, Casey and Sarah spend the next several years keeping his ass safe and making him enough of a real spy to use it. Bryce comes back just long enough to mess with Chuck's head, Casey's the one who makes sure Chuck is distracted from his moping for the next several months.

When Bryce ends up having a lookalike - same annoyingly pretty eyes, same ridiculously bright smile, same ability to make Chuck flustered like a schoolboy - Casey just _knows_ he's going to be the one picking up the pieces.

Neal. Neal Caffrey. Not his real name.

He's worse than Bryce, in his way. All Bryce's worst qualities mixed with all Chuck's weaknesses, wrapped up with a special bonus of a life of crime.

A con man, full of charm. Yeah, fine, on missions he was a smooth talker. It was downright disturbing how good Caffrey was at imitating Bryce. But he reacted to guns the way Chuck did. Worse, even. And he thought with his emotions, even when it was a huge pain in the ass. Like Bryce, he did whatever the hell he felt like doing, and like Chuck, he thought that a smile would cover a multitude of mistakes.

He could see Chuck falling for the act. For the con. He could see Chuck buy the lies, could see at him staring at the face that was so intimately familiar and so new at the same time. Chuck was protective of Neal, respected his b.s.-ing abilities, had fun teaching him videogames, tried to make him part of the Herd.

Chuck liked Neal. And not even just as a Bryce substitute. He genuinely liked the two-faced criminal. And more than a little.

Chuck liked Neal way more than he should.

When John saw them laughing together, though, he never said anything. He just set his jaw, cleaned his guns, and waited for what he knew was coming: the moment when Chuck -once again- needed him to deal with the fallout.


End file.
